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Belzoni Mississippi Heart Of The Delta SignPhoto: Chillin662 · CC BY-SA 4.0
C−Hazard risk
Natural hazards in Belzoni · FEMA

FEMA expects more hazard damage per building in Belzoni than in 77% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Belzoni gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (58%), then tornadoes (17%). Flood insurance has paid 77 claims here since 1979.

River and rain flooding 58%Tornadoes 17%Earthquakes 10%

Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded

more than 77%of U.S. townsLess damageMoreExpected yearly damage per dollar of building, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade
Hazard risk
C−
in Mississippi · higher than 77% of U.S. towns
Main hazard
River and rain flooding
58% of expected building damage
Flood claims
77
paid since 1979 · $986K
Flooded more than once
14
properties · 4 “severe repetitive loss”
Disasters paid out here
7
of 21 declared for Humphreys County

What stands out about Belzoni’s natural hazards

From FEMA’s model and FEMA’s records, below.

Made safer with FEMA grants52 storm safe rooms built with FEMA grants.Remembers 198312 flood claims were paid for 1983 alone, the most of any year.
By hazard

What Belzoni faces

Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.

River and rain flooding

58%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about once every 1 years in the area

Tornadoes

17%of expected building damage
Well above average · in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts

Earthquakes

10%of expected building damage
Above average · higher than 79% of U.S. census tracts

Hail

6%of expected building damage
Well above average · higher than 90% of U.S. census tracts
Recorded about 3 times a year in the area
Smaller shares here
 Hurricanes Strong wind Ice storms Cold waves top 0% Lightning Wildfire Winter storms Heat waves Landslides
FEMA models no building damage here
Coastal floodingAvalanchesTsunamisVolcanic activity
People, not buildings.Counting harm to people as well as buildings, FEMA’s model puts cold waves at 13% of Belzoni’s expected losses. Cold waves do little damage to buildings (0.6%), so they aren’t part of the grade.

Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.

Flood risk changes street by street. Check a specific address on FEMA’s flood map, and ask about flood insurance before you buy.
Hazard risk grade

What’s behind Belzoni’s grade

River and rain flooding is 58% of the building damage FEMA expects in Belzoni, and Belzoni’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts. Tornadoes add 17%, at a rate in the top 1% of U.S. census tracts.

Where Belzoni sits
Belzoni
Least damageMiddleMost damage

C− higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns (21,298).

All of Belzoni’s residents live in one census tract; the figures are that tract’s.

What drives the damage to buildings
River and rain flooding58%Tornadoes17%Earthquakes10%Everything else15%

In dollars, FEMA expects about $1.0M a year in losses across Belzoni: $661K to buildings, the rest to people and crops.

Recent disaster.FEMA’s model looks at expected damage to the buildings standing today. After Severe Winter Storm in 2026, FEMA took 1,378 aid registrations from Belzoni addresses (the town has 886 homes).
Shared tract.All of Belzoni’s 1,938 residents (2020 census) live in one census tract. FEMA publishes its model by tract, so the rate and the hazard mix are the tract’s. The flood claims below are the town’s own.
A shared figure. The grade describes the whole tract, not each street in it, and FEMA’s model is an average year for today’s buildings, not a record: the claims below are the record.

How TownRatings grades hazard risk →

Flood insurance claims

Does Belzoni flood? Sometimes: 77 flood claims since 1979

Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Belzoni, from FEMA’s records: 86.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 95% of the 13,809 U.S. towns with a flood insurance record.

Paid flood claims, by year
1979: 2 claims1980: 11 claims1981: 0 claims1982: 8 claims1983: 12 claims1984: 0 claims1985: 0 claims1986: 1 claim1987: 9 claims1988: 0 claims1989: 0 claims1990: 0 claims1991: 2 claims1992: 0 claims1993: 0 claims1994: 0 claims1995: 1 claim1996: 6 claims1997: 2 claims1998: 10 claims1999: 0 claims2000: 1 claim2001: 1 claim2002: 0 claims2003: 0 claims2004: 0 claims2005: 1 claim2006: 0 claims2007: 0 claims2008: 1 claim2009: 1 claim2010: 0 claims2011: 0 claims2012: 5 claims2013: 0 claims2014: 0 claims2015: 0 claims2016: 0 claims2017: 1 claim2018: 0 claims2019: 0 claims2020: 1 claim2021: 0 claims2022: 0 claims2023: 0 claims2024: 1 claim2025: 0 claims2026: 0 claims198019831998
19792026
Biggest named events
  • Hurricane Katrina1 claim · $14K
77
paid claims since 1979
$986K
paid to owners
14
homes flooded more than once
$13K
average claim
Homes that flooded again and again
FEMA “severe repetitive loss” (4)Flooded 2+ times
of homes in flood zones are insured
of all homes are insured
No community discount

Belzoni isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.

Insurance rates: Humphreys County.
What’s been done with FEMA grants
52storm safe rooms built
Disasters

7 federal disasters brought FEMA money to Belzoni

Disasters that paid out in Belzoni itself (aid to households or repair grants to the City of Belzoni), newest first, with that year’s flood claims.

  1. 2026Severe Winter Storm1,378 households applied for aid$3.8M aid approved$571K to the City of Belzoni for repairs
  2. 2024Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding1,076 households applied for aid$3.3M aid approved1 flood claim paid that year
  3. 2023Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, and Tornadoes585 households applied for aid$321K aid approved
  4. 2019Severe Storms, Straight-line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding46 households applied for aid$64K aid approved$191K to the City of Belzoni for repairs
  5. 2005Hurricane Katrina385 households applied for aid$147K aid approved$69K to the City of Belzoni for repairs1 flood claim paid for it, $14K
  6. 2003Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Floods1 households applied for aid$2K aid approved
Show all 7
  1. 1998Severe Winter Storms, Ice and Freezing Rain$27K to the City of Belzoni for repairs10 flood claims paid that year
Disasters declared, by decade
Paid out in BelzoniHumphreys County only

Humphreys County has had 21 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms.

Were you here?

Old photos of Belzoni after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.

Add to the Belzoni archive →
Be ready

Get ready for what Belzoni faces

A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.

When the river rises
  • Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
  • Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
  • Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Tornado warnings
  • Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
  • A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
  • Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Earthquakes
  • Drop, cover and hold on.
  • Strap tall furniture and the water heater to the wall.
  • Know how to shut off the gas.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Hail
  • Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
  • Stay away from windows while it falls.
  • Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
More from Ready.gov ↗
Before you buy or rent
  • Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
  • Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
  • Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
When a storm is coming
Forecast and alertsWeather →911, the nearest ERSafety →

Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.

Questions about natural hazards in Belzoni

Is Belzoni at risk for natural disasters?

On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Belzoni has higher expected damage per building than 77% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (58%) and tornadoes (17%). The figures are for the one census tract the town shares with its neighbors. This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.

Does Belzoni flood?

Flood insurance has paid 77 claims in Belzoni since 1979, $986K in all, or 86.9 per 1,000 homes, more than 95% of U.S. towns with a flood insurance record. 14 properties have flooded more than once. The most claims came from Hurricane Katrina (1).

Is Belzoni in a flood zone?

Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Humphreys County, 15% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 3.1% of all homes do.

How much is flood insurance in Belzoni?

FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Belzoni’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.

What was the biggest storm in Belzoni?

By FEMA money that reached Belzoni, Severe Winter Storm (2026): 1,378 households applied for aid, $3.8M approved, and $571K to the City of Belzoni for repairs. By flood claims, Hurricane Katrina: 1 paid, $14K.

Is Belzoni at risk from river and rain flooding?

It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (58%), and Belzoni’s rate for it is higher than 68% of U.S. census tracts.

Storm stories

Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Belzoni.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Belzoni’s residents lived in the 2020 census; OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.